‘The Telegraph’: France and Germany dash Ukraine’s hopes of fast-track EU membership

Ursula to Zelensky: "We will accept you into the EU, but we don't know when..."
Photo: EU

France and Germany are set to block Ukraine’s push for a fast-track entry to the European Union.

The European Commission presented a proposal for Kyiv to join forces with the bloc at a dinner on Wednesday night organised by the two countries.

But ambassadors for Paris and Berlin told their counterparts that Brussels needed to formulate a more “realistic” plan for Ukraine’s accession, diplomatic sources told ‘The Telegraph’.

Officials in the two capitals, both staunch allies of Ukraine, are opposed to the quick-fire plan because it does not have the wider support of member states and could ultimately see Kyiv fall victim to a wider argument over enlargement of the bloc.

Ursula von der Leyen, the commission’s president, had hoped to welcome Ukraine into the bloc through a “membership lite” scheme.

Her vision for an accelerated pathway offered Kyiv membership without the benefits, such as EU funds or voting rights, which would come at a later date.

The plan was largely designed to accommodate a 2027 accession date, which has been mooted during the US-mediated peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

The fast-tracked strategy was presented to the EU’s 27 national ambassadors by Björn Seibert, Mrs von der Leyen’s chief of staff.

But the proposed phased-in membership has been widely rejected behind the scenes in Brussels.

“I don’t think many of us really ever liked it as a plan,” an EU diplomat told The Telegraph.

Before the talks, French and German officials signalled they would seek to make a counter-proposal that would have support from the bloc’s member states.

“There is a tentative attempt by France and Germany to find a good model for Ukraine to join the EU,” a second diplomat said.

Accession to the EU is considered a merit-based system, with 36 steps to complete before the process can be finalised.

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